"As expected, they made one person bear all the blame. I thought at least one senator would be exposed, but they only threw Joisson out there. These people are truly shameless..."
Adam watched the press conference on the screen. When he saw Dodge addressing Guan Tong through the camera, he turned to look at Guan Tong beside him.
Seeing Guan Tong expressionless, he knew his mood had to be terrible.
Dodge's seemingly sincere face, to someone who had almost been killed, probably read more as mockery than remorse.
If he had really gone to the press conference today, he would probably have slaughtered Dodge... Adam thought.
He knew Guan Tong had originally planned to attend the press conference, but while dealing with the mutated dragonblood tree earlier he had exhausted all his Mind Power.
So he naturally couldn't go. Even going with full Mind Power was dangerous; with none, it was impossible. He had to steady himself and recover first.
The rest of the press conference was Joisson's confession. Dodge, speaking for Suroma, said they would hand the man over to the supreme court for the harshest punishment.
Death was certain. Even in Suroma, a country that had not carried out an execution in many years, Joisson would die without doubt, otherwise there would be no way to appease the other nations' rage.
But the death of Joisson alone could not satisfy the Human Consortium countries who had paid such a heavy price.
So Dodge then announced that although Suroma's decision-makers had been unaware of Joisson's actions and themselves were victims, Suroma was still willing to shoulder responsibility and provide national compensation to all countries that had sent Ascendants to participate in the Carrier Array operation.
After the press conference, Yedang looked at the silent Guan Tong and asked, "Shadow, what are you going to do next?"
He knew Guan Tong would never accept this outcome. Other countries would certainly question it, but without evidence they would likely have to hold their noses and accept Suroma's compensation.
But that would be a trap.
Once a country accepted national compensation, it meant recognizing Suroma's announced conclusion and handling. Later attempts to continue pursuing accountability would no longer carry the same moral weight.
Guan Tong's eyes were icy. In response to Adam's question he said in a low voice, "No matter how silver-tongued Dodge is, no matter whether other countries accept this result... as long as the real culprit is not dead, my revenge will never end."
Never end...
Although Adam had anticipated something like this, hearing Guan Tong say it still hit him hard.
He suddenly felt pity for Dodge and the others. Facing an enemy like Guan Tong, who clings to a death-bound conviction, eloquence and risk insulation won't help. If the other side refuses to play by your rules, your advantages mean nothing.
"...Guan Tong, you must be exhausted. Get some rest early. We'll deal with everything else tomorrow."
Adam knew Guan Tong had spent major effort dealing with the mutated dragonblood tree during the day, and watching the press conference at night would have left him distraught. It was better not to talk more now and let him be alone.
After Adam left, the room held only Guan Tong.
Uenoshi had not watched the press conference. Although the mutated dragonblood tree had been eliminated, the Rule had not yet ended. She would lead the Serpent Hair Society in defending against mutated plants until the last moment, and tally how many Sakura Prayer people had been killed by the mutated dragonblood tree.
Guan Tong switched off the screen and sat on the sofa, thinking.
He replayed the press conference in his head. When someone asked whether Joisson had been mind-controlled, Dodge's firm denial caught his attention.
Indeed, mind-type abilities, especially the subtype of mind control, were extremely rare worldwide.
But Dodge had specifically rebutted by saying "Your Holiness was killed by Shadow," and that scent of conspiracy made Guan Tong uneasy.
Adam and I were ambiguous. The priest Yi we captured was only a stand-in. The real Your Holiness was probably someone called "Paul" who later appeared in New Covenant, and who possibly sought out his accomplice Han Qiu.
If Paul, Han Qiu, and Suroma low-level people were all linked in an eight-way series connection, then Bruce being said to have been mind-controlled and made to bear guilt could make sense.
Guan Tong thought, "That's the only safe explanation."
Someone like Joisson reaching the director position at the First Research Institute must be smart. He would know that admitting to such a major crime means a death sentence.
Faced with certain death, bribes won't work, because no one will die for profit. Once dead, all benefits vanish.
If bribery fails, what about coercion?
Threatening a man who knows he'll die with "obey or I'll kill you" is ridiculous.
Unless the threat isn't to the target's own life, but to their important loved ones. Like Bruce controlling Adam's wife and daughter, keeping Adam almost always on the defensive.
But Adam and others had been carefully selected. Suroma's higher-ups had arranged years ago to guide them to procreate on Eden Island, manufacturing their soft spots for leverage.
Would someone like Joisson, who had no right to set foot on the island, receive the same "treatment"?
Moreover, Joisson gave Guan Tong the impression he was not the type to sacrifice himself for others. A self-centered man might be coerced with relatives for some benefits, but to be made to die? He would surely refuse.
Therefore, the safest way to prevent Joisson from turning on them and spilling secrets during the live press conference was to subject him to mind control beforehand.
The more Guan Tong thought, the heavier his mood.
If Your Holiness, Han Qiu, Bruce, and the Senate truly formed a new interest bloc, that would spell big trouble for everyone else. Who knew how many more innocents they would sacrifice?
For Guan Tong, though, all these people were already on his enemy list. If they gathered, it might actually give him an opportunity to wipe them all out at once.
"Teacher, are you busy? I want to talk."
While Guan Tong was thinking, Yelanka's voice suddenly reached him through the Mind Network, ringing in his head. Her tone carried several shades of righteous anger.
Guan Tong: "What's wrong?"
Yelanka: "Teacher, did you watch Suroma's press conference?"
Guan Tong: "I did."
Yelanka: "Do you believe what Dodge said? Could this really be the work of Joisson alone, unrelated to the Senate and King Bruce?"
Guan Tong: "..."
He remembered Yelanka had earlier said she wanted justice for Ascendants who sacrificed for Xisiya, to make the real culprits pay.
Now, with the press conference, all blame fell on Joisson, letting the Senate and Bruce slip free through carefully arranged risk insulation.
No evidence tied them to ordering Joisson, which inevitably left Yelanka and other levels wanting to pursue further with a powerless sense of frustration.
So he understood why she reached out.
Guan Tong: "Yelanka, I know you're unhappy with this outcome. Unfortunately, I also have no evidence linking Joisson to instructions from the Senate or Bruce."
Yelanka: "I refuse to believe this was just Joisson's plan. Damn it! Teacher Guan Tong, are we really powerless against those despicable mastermind puppeteers?"
Guan Tong: "...Yelanka. Trying cases on evidence is the law's logic, not mine. In this era, I follow the oldest logic: a life for a life."
Yelanka's voice fell silent for a moment, perhaps stunned by his words.
After a pause her voice returned. "Teacher, do you intend to continue your revenge alone?"
Guan Tong did not deny it. "Yes. I know you, as Administrator, must set an example and follow national laws. I'm different. I act by my own will. Maybe I don't have firm protection, but I also have fewer responsibilities and constraints."
Yelanka: "...I understand. Then I have an immodest request, and I hope you'll agree."
Guan Tong: "Speak."
Yelanka: "I don't accept Suroma's conclusion, so tomorrow I will formally declare Xisiya will refuse Suroma's national compensation... If you find new evidence during your actions, deliver it to me. With evidence, I will immediately reopen accountability, even if it means going to war with Suroma!"
Guan Tong heard determination in her words. Though she could not act freely as Administrator, she had not lost care for the blood of her compatriots like some veteran opportunists.
"Fine, I promise."
...
[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE PASSED THE TEST OF THE TWENTY-SECOND DOOMS DAY RULE]
[REWARD HAS BEEN SENT TO YOUR STORAGE BOX]
[THE TWENTY-THIRD DOOMS DAY RULE WILL BE RELEASED IN FIFTEEN DAYS]
On September 15, the Twenty-Second Doomsday Rule was declared concluded.
When survivors heard the notification, many felt sincerely, "We survived another one. That wasn't easy."
At the moment the Rule ended, many large mutated plants visibly withered.
Deprived of the Rule's power, the frenziedly overgrown parts would quickly decay from lack of sufficient energy.
Even so, unmanned zones and abandoned cities across regions were already occupied by plants.
Seen from space, Tianshui Star still looked mostly blue, but vast swathes of green proved how much the plants had transformed the planet over the past month.
On the day the Rule ended, the Human Consortium also issued a new statement, announcing several pending plans.
First, regarding the Carrier Array operation: though many doubted it, the Human Consortium vote carried—unless new evidence surfaced, no further investigation would proceed, and the originally planned independent investigation team would be disbanded.
Suroma said Joisson's trial would be public soon and national compensations would be delivered quickly.
Only Xisiya refused the compensation, clearly rejecting the investigation's conclusion.
After Yelanka announced this decision as Administrator of Xisiya, opinions at home were mixed, but supporters outnumbered opponents. They believed the deaths of compatriots could not be bought off with money.
Suroma was displeased with Xisiya's refusal. At the Human Consortium meeting, Mary even spoke harshly to Torafuto, but it did nothing.
Other countries: Beixing had never sent Ascendants to the plan and therefore had no compensation to receive.
Several small nations were helpless. Even if they suspected Suroma, their national strength was weaker than Xisiya's, and the compensation mattered. They chose to accept.
Second, regarding Hanlis Nation's destruction, the Human Consortium announced member countries would accept some Hanlis refugees, so survivors would not become wanderers.
Then came the implementation of various planned measures.
Suroma's human memory digitization would complete its first experiment this month; Beixing's spacecraft would launch later this month; Xisiya would accelerate building official shelters; Lu Rui and other small nations, shaken by Hanlis's fall, would commit to building Super Cities.
In addition, all nations mobilized citizens for "weeding" operations, sending teams with equipment in batches to clear plants from abandoned cities and construct small nuclear power stations.
Before these small-scale plans unfurled, some past matters were slowly pushed aside, like the internet voices that had briefly questioned whether Suroma low-levels let Bruce take the fall.
But now those voices had mostly disappeared. In this fragile era, people's capacity to forget was astonishingly fast. Everyone focused on immediate survival and future prospects; things that had not yet been resolved were hard to keep at the forefront of memory.
Only those who had been deeply wounded could resist forgetting, always keeping grievances alive and dreaming of the day they would return a hundredfold vengeance on those who caused the harm.